Masalit People in Darfur: Targeted by RSF for Their Ethnicity

Last updated: 15 October 2026

Photo: Sudan - Nina R

Sudan Masalit targeting refers to the systematic persecution of the Masalit people, a non-Arab ethnic group in West Darfur, by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Arab militias since 2023. The Masalit have been victims of mass killings, sexual violence, forced displacement, and the destruction of their communities. Furthermore, the US State Department's January 2025 genocide determination cited the targeting of the Masalit as a central indicator of genocide. As a result, Masalit asylum claims rest on race and nationality grounds under the 1951 Refugee Convention. This article documents the patterns of targeting, key events, and asylum implications.[1]

For wider context on Darfur, see RSF atrocities in Darfur.

Who Are the Masalit?

The Masalit are a non-Arab agricultural people of West Darfur, traditionally concentrated in and around El Geneina (the regional capital). The Masalit Sultanate existed for centuries before being incorporated into Sudan. Furthermore, the Masalit have a distinct language (Masalit), customs, and identity separate from Arab tribes. During the 2003-2004 Darfur genocide, the Masalit were among the principal victims of the Janjaweed (predecessors of the RSF). As a result, the 2023-2026 violence is a continuation of long-standing ethnic targeting. Therefore, the Masalit are recognised as a particular ethnic and national group for refugee law purposes.[2]

Historical context: 2003-2004 genocide

During the 2003-2004 Darfur genocide, Janjaweed militias destroyed Masalit villages, killed tens of thousands, and displaced hundreds of thousands. The ICC indicted Sudanese officials including Omar al-Bashir for genocide against the Masalit, Fur, and Zaghawa. Furthermore, the UN International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur (2005) documented systematic ethnic targeting. As a result, the international legal record establishes that Masalit have historically been victims of group-based persecution. Therefore, the 2023-2026 attacks fit a documented pattern, not isolated incidents.[3]

The El Geneina Massacres (2023)

The El Geneina massacres of April-November 2023 represent one of the worst atrocities of the current war. RSF and allied Arab militias laid siege to the city, the West Darfur capital and Masalit heartland. Furthermore, in three waves of attacks (April-May, June, and October-November 2023), thousands of Masalit civilians were killed. The killing of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abakar (a Masalit) in June 2023 — after he publicly accused the RSF of genocide — triggered the worst massacres. Estimates of those killed range from 10,000 to 15,000. As a result, El Geneina has emptied of its Masalit population.[4]

Patterns of Targeting

UN and NGO documentation reveals consistent patterns. First, RSF fighters identify Masalit by language, appearance, ID cards, and neighbourhood. Second, Masalit men of fighting age (15-60) are systematically separated and executed. Third, Masalit women face rape, sexual slavery, and forced "marriage." Fourth, Masalit homes are looted and burned. Fifth, ethnic slurs (calling Masalit "slaves," abeed) accompany the violence. Furthermore, the targeting is not opportunistic but planned. As a result, Human Rights Watch concluded in May 2024 that the El Geneina events constitute "ethnic cleansing." The US State Department went further to determine genocide.[5]

"The Rapid Support Forces and their allied militias have systematically targeted Masalit civilians on the basis of their ethnicity, killing and forcibly displacing them with the apparent intent to destroy the Masalit community in West Darfur."Human Rights Watch, "The Massalit Will Not Come Home," May 2024

Flight to Chad: Adre and Beyond

Surviving Masalit have fled overwhelmingly to neighbouring Chad. Adre, the Chadian border town, hosts the largest concentration of Masalit refugees. Furthermore, refugees describe walking for days through dangerous territory, with many dying en route from violence or exhaustion. UNHCR estimates over 600,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad as of 2025, the majority being Masalit and other non-Arab Darfuris. As a result, Chad's eastern provinces are overwhelmed. The conditions in Adre are dire: limited food, water, shelter, and healthcare. Therefore, onward movement to safer countries is common, generating asylum claims in Europe and North America.[6]

The 2025 Genocide Determination

On 7 January 2025, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined that the RSF and allied militias had committed genocide in Darfur. The determination cited targeting of Masalit (and other non-Arab groups) on the basis of ethnicity, with intent to destroy the group in whole or in part. Furthermore, the determination listed sexual violence, mass killings, and forced displacement as constituent acts. As a result, the legal threshold for genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention was met in the US assessment. Therefore, Masalit asylum claims now have the unprecedented backing of an official genocide determination from a leading state.[7]

Implications for refugee status

A genocide determination is not binding on national asylum tribunals. However, it is highly persuasive evidence. Furthermore, asylum decision-makers should accord significant weight to a US State Department genocide determination, particularly when it aligns with UN findings and NGO documentation. As a result, Masalit asylum applicants should cite the determination explicitly. Therefore, country guidance updates in the UK, EU, US, and Canada should reflect the heightened risk to Masalit and bar refoulement.[8]

Asylum Implications: Race, Nationality, and PSG

Masalit asylum claims invoke multiple Convention grounds. First, race — the Masalit are a non-Arab ethnic group targeted on racial grounds. Second, nationality — the term in the Convention extends beyond citizenship to ethnic and linguistic communities (UNHCR Handbook §74). Third, particular social group — the Masalit are a discrete, identifiable, immutable group. Furthermore, the persecutor (RSF) is identifiable, the harm is severe, and state protection is unavailable (the SAF state has no presence in West Darfur). As a result, the legal test for refugee status is straightforwardly met. Therefore, Masalit applications should be granted on the merits.[9]

Masalit and other non-Arab Darfuri claimants need evidence of ethnic targeting by the RSF, which our Sudan country expert witness reports provide.

Conclusion: A Documented Genocide

The targeting of the Masalit is documented by the UN, HRW, the US State Department, and survivor testimonies. Mass killings in El Geneina, sexual violence, and ethnic cleansing meet the legal threshold for genocide. Furthermore, the persecution is ongoing as long as the RSF controls Darfur. As a result, Masalit asylum claims rest on a robust evidentiary foundation. Therefore, refusal of Masalit asylum claims is not legally defensible while the genocide continues.